Immanuel

Kant

 

 

Иммануил Кант (1724-1804)

 

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

 

2.8. Rational Choice: Kant

Critique of Practical Reason

 

The same question was posed by Kant in his moral philosophy.

 

Is there a universal moral norm that might be derived by the pure reason without relation to any experience?

 

If it exists then every rational person should agree with this norm a priori.

 

 

Categorical imperative

 

An act is good only if the actor agree to make this act the universal law.

 

 

Theprinciple of universizability.

 

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

 

Actually, the similar rule was

invented long before Kant…

 

 

What rule?

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

 

2.8. Rational Choice: Kant

The Golden Rule

 

"do to others what you would like to be done to you“

 

The ancient wisdom that may be found in Ancient Egypt, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity.

 

 

Immanuel Kant:

 

The Golden Rule is less universal than Categorical Imperative and sometimes does not work.

 

E.g. a criminal asks the judge to release him, stressing that the judge would want this to be done to him if they changed places.

 

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

 

2.8. Rational Choice: Kant

Another Statements of CI

 

 

We can find some other statements of Categorical Imperative from Kant’s works. For example,

 

Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means to an end.

 

In simpler words, Treat other people as ends and not means

 

Basically, it is equivalent to the main statement. It supposes that the person already accounts himself as an end and, consequently, he has to treat all other people as he treat himself – as an end.

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

2.9.

Rational Choice: Rawls

 

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

2.9. Rational Choice: Rawls

Methodological problems of CI

 

Do these moral norms fit to Categorical Imperative?

 

• All rich people should share some part of their wealth with poor.

 

• Nobody is obliged to share his income with other people.

 

• It is allowable to smoke in the company of non-smokers

 

• The professor can not move to other topic until the previous topic is understood by the most weak student in the group

 

• Everybody should die and the sooner the better.

 

All these norms may fit the criterion of universizability depending on the personal characteristics of the actor (tastes, abilities, resource endowments etc.)

 

Then Kant was incorrect. This statement of Categorical Imperative may not be a true universal moral norm derived a priori.

 

 

Storchevoy M. A. Corporate Social Responsibility. 2013

How it should be corrected?...

Topic 2 (2). Normative Analysis: Deontology

 

 

2.9. Rational Choice: Rawls